Spike pulling device



w. SPIKE PULLING DEVICE Filed May 30, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 y 1933, w. v OSBORNE SPIKE PULLING DEVICE Filed May 30, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 7 76 1M;- W JW, 3- 1 Patented May 9, 1933 1 NITED STATES PATENT WILLIAM v. OSBORNE, OF BAQINE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR T0 LAKESIDE mali nant]! CASTINGS COMPANY, or RACINE, WISCONSIN, A coRroRA'rIoN'oF WISCONSIN SPIKE PULLING DEVICE 7 Application filed May 30,1930. Serial No. 457,607.

My invention relates to spike pulling devices and has for its object the provision of means whereby spikes may be withdrawn from railway ties without bending them.

The spike pullers of the prior art have all been more or less unsatisfactory, because the devices which are capable of pulling a spike without bending the spike require great effort to operate them, ordinarily requiring two or three men to pull a spike, thus greatly increasing the labor cost of railway maintenance work and materially diminishing the likelihood of using devices capable of withdrawing spikes without mutilating or bending them.

It is an object of an improved portable spike pulling device having a lever arrangement whereby the fulcrum of the lever at the start of the operation is adjacent the spike, thus glving a greatly increased leverageto the inltial pressure exerted and whereby the fulcrum will be changed after a predetermined initial movement to a point removed from the spike to allow a full lever stroke of an ordinary length. 7 v

Another object of my invention is to provide an improved spike pulling device having removable wearing parts which may easily be replaced in case they are broken or worn out. r A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved portable spike pulling device which may easlly be handled by Another object of the present invention is to provide a portable spike puller that is easily and cheaply manufactured, yet durable and capable of long and steady use.

Other objects and advantages will be readily apparent from the following description, reference being hadto the following drawings, in which 7 Figure 1 is a side elevational viewof my improved spike pulling devicein actual use;

Figure 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view of thedevice, with a changed position of the spike pulling leverand-claws shown in dotted lines Figure 3' is a plan view;

my invention to provide Figure 4: is a front elevational View with: a portion of the claw guide broken away; and

OFFICE Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal sectionalview taken on the line 55 of Figure 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

In Figure I have shown my device-Ain the position it is placed to start to pull a spike. A rail 10 is shown on a tie plate 13 resting on a tie 12 embedded in the ordinary roadbed 14. A spike 16 secures the rail 10 in place, this being the spike it is desired to withdraw.

The spike puller A comprises a base member 18 which is positioned ontherailroad tie 12 with a tie plate 13. Spikes driven through .tie plates are usually hardest :to pull and for this reason the deviceis shownin connection with a tie plate but it will be apparent that where no tie plate is encountered the device is equal- 5? 1y operable. At the front, end of base member 18 a pair of Vertical guides 22 are providportion 20 overlying the 3 ed in which a claw member 24 is positioned. 1

Guide members 22 arecl'osedfat their upper end by a cross member 26 fastened to lugs 28 opening 36 is provided in the claw member .24 through which a wear member 38 extending from lever passes and connects to' the claw member. Wear member :38 is preferably formed of tool steel or other equally hard substance and is loosely fitted into, the end oflever 40 so that it may be readily replaced in the event that it is broken oif'wor'n out. Base member 18 is formed withapivot socket at a point adjacent the front end and an elongated slot 14 which providesa similar pivot socket near the rear end ofthe member. A pair of studs 46 on the lever 40 are provided to cooperate with socket 42 and a bolt 4'8 extends through an elongated slot 50 in lever 10 and also through the elongated slot 4 19f the base'member 18. A socket 52 is provided in the upper endof lever 40 for an operating handle 54:. i I f In the operation of my improved. spike cross-member also engages the guide '22. IAn v.

puller, when it is desired to pull a spike, the device is placed in the position shown in Figure 1 with the fingers 32 of the claw member engaging below the flanged head on the spike 16. In this position the studs 46 will be engaged in the sockets 42 of base member 18 and it will readily be seen that by pulling parts downwardly on handle 54 a highly multiplied leverage will be provided to start the initial pulling of the spike. As the spike is extracted claw member 24 rises vertically 1n the uides 22 and further downward pressure on handle 54 will carry bolt 48 to the lower end of elongated slot 44, will cease to be the fulcrum for the lever, and the lower end of slot 44 will become the fulcrum point. Due to the fact that the spike has been loosened by being extracted a material distance, further extraction will be easily accomplished and for this reason a lesser leverage is suflicient. As the handle 54 s brought downward and claw member 24 is raised in the vertical slots 22, the lever 40 and associated parts will assume the posltlon shown in dotted lines in Figure 2 with the bolt 48 moved to the left in slot 50. small clip 60 is fastened to the top end of lever 4O overlying portion 34 of the claw member to prevent any accidental dlsarrangement of the parts and a ledge 64 is prov1ded at the lower end of guides 22 to provide a hnnt stop at the lower end of the guides. When 1t is desired to replace claw member 24 1t 1s only necesary to remove the bolts 30 and unfasten the clip 60 and remove clip member 24 and substitute another.

From the foregoing it is apparent that which may be worn and which do 1n efi'ect take most of the wear and tear n the use of my improved device may be easily replaced or renewed without disassemblingthe device or causing any substantial loss of time or material.

'It will also be apparent that due to the comparatively large ratio-between the plvot, the handle and the load, great initial pressure can be produced to loosen the spike by any ordinary person, and it has been found 1n actual practice that spikes which require the strength of several men to extract, with any of the devlces of the prior art, can easily be extracted by one person with my improved device.

While I have illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, many modifications may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I do not wish i to be limited to the precise details of construction set forth, but desire to avail myself of all changes within the scope of the appended claims. I V v I claim as my invention:

1. A spike pulling device comprising a base member, vertical guide means at one end thereof, spike pulling claws positioned at which time socket 42 ots, a lever having a plurality of pivot studs,

spike engaging means at one end of said lever, said lever adapted upon engagement with a spike to be fulcrumed first on one and then the other of said pivots in said base.

3. A spike removing device comprising a base member, a lever pivoted adjacent one end of said base member, a spike engaging means attached to said lever and adapted to be guided in a vertical plane by said base member, a second pivot on said lever adapt ed to be pivoted at a point removed from p 5 said first pivot at a subsequent stage in'the pulling of the spike. I

4. A spike extractor comprising a lever having a handle at one end, a removable wear member in the other end, a claw member car- ,90

ried by said wear member, a base member having a pair of sockets and said lever pivoted in said sockets and said lever having an elongated slot therein, a fulcrum member carried in said elongated slot and said lever ,95

arranged after predetermined initial movement to pivot on said last mentioned fulcrum member.

5. A spike removing device comprising a base member, a lever initially pivoted adjacent one end of said base member, a spike engaging means attached to said lever, means on said base member for guiding the spike engaging means in a vertical plane, and a second fulcrum member on said lever adapted to be pivoted at a point removed from said first pivot at a subsequent stage in the pulling of the spike.

6. A spike pulling device comprising a base member, vertical guide means at one end of said base member, spike pulling claws positioned in said guide means, pairs of fulcrum bearing means on said base member, one of said bearing means adjacent the vertical guide means, the other of said bearing. means removed therefrom, and a lever 0perably connected to said claws and adapted to be fulcrumed first on one and then the other of said bearing means to raise a spike first at a greater leverage and then at a lesser.

7 A spike pulling device including a base member, said base member having-vertical guide means at one end thereof, vertical side walls on two sides thereof, pairs of pivot sockets arranged in said side walls, one pair of said sockets adjacent the vertical guide means and the'other pair adjacent the opposite end, spike engaging means positioned in said guide means and adapted to be raised and lowered, a lever having pairs of studs positioned thereon, one pair of said studs adapted to engage said first named socket means and the other pair of said studs adapted to engage said second named socket means, and said lever operably connected to said spike engaging means.

8. A spike pulling device comprising a base member, vertical guide means at one end of said base member, a removable spike pulling claw positioned in said guide means, pairs of fulcrum bearing sockets on said base member, one pair of said bearing sockets adjacent the vertical guide means,the other of said bearing sockets spaced therefrom, and an operating lever connected to said claw means and adapted to be fulcrumed first on one and then the other of said bearing sockets to raise a spike vertically, first at a greater and then at a lesser leverage.

9. A spike extractor comprising a lever having a handle at one end, a removable Wear member in the other end, a claw member carried by said wear member, a base member, a pair of vertical guide means in said member, said claw member positioned therein, said base member having pairs of sockets, said lever pivoted in one pair of said sockets and said lever having an elongated slot therein, a fulcrum member carried in said elongated slot and said lever arranged after an initial movement to pivot in the second pair of sockets on said last mentioned fulcrum member.

10. A spike pulling device including a base member, said base member having vertical guide means at one end thereof, and a removable cap thereon, vertical side walls on two sides of said base member, pairs of pivot sockets arranged in said side walls, one pair of said sockets adjacent the vertical guide means and the other pair adjacent the opposite end of said base member, spike engaging means positioned in said guide means and adapted to be raised and lowered, a lever, a removable Wear member for actuating the spike engaging means, said lever having pairs of studs positioned thereon, one pair of said studs adapted to engage said first named socket means at the beginning of the operation and the other pair of said studs adapted to engage said second named socket means to complete the operation.

11. A device for pulling spikes without bending them, including a base member having a pair of vertical side walls, a front vertical guide means, a claw member reciprocably mounted in said guide means, a lever, a wear member in the end of said lever engaging said claw member, a pair of fulcrums on said lever engaging said base member progressively, the first adjacentthe front end of the base member and the-other near the rear end of the base member to provide lever arrangements of different ratios.

12. A spike puller comprising a base, a lever adapted to pivot thereon, spike engaging means'adapted to be actuatedby said lever, and means on said base for guiding said spike engaging meansin a vertical direction.

13. A spike puller for withdrawing spikes Without bending them comprising base.

means, a lever pivotally mounted thereon, spike engaging means mounted on the base means and adapted to be actuated by said lever, and guides restraining said spike engaglilng means in a substantially straight pat g 14. A spike puller for withdrawing spikes without bending them comprising base means, spike engaging means mounted therein, means for guiding said spike engaging means in a substantially straight path whereby'a spike is withdrawn without being bent, and a lever having a plurality of pivots upon said base means.

15. Means for extracting spikes without bending them comprising a base member, a long manually operable lever pivotally mounted thereon, spike engaging means thereon, and means for guiding said spike engagingmeans in a straight path in a spike extracting operation.

16. A spike removing device comprising a base member, a long manually operable lever pivotally mounted adjacent one end on said base member, and a spike engaging means engaged by said lever and adapted to be guided in a vertical plane by said base'member.

In witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name this 28th day of May 1930.

WILLIAM V. OSBORNE. 

